by Michaela Meade
There’s something in the air for Hume City as they secured a place in the last 16 in the FFA Cup.
Hume faced Port Melbourne last night in the round of 32 match, and clinched a 3-1 victory.
Hume were in front at halftime, 1-0, before Port Melbourne stole a goal in the second half.
But two goals in as many minutes in injury time earned Hume their spot in the competition’s round of 16.
Coach Nick Hegarty said it was a “stressful night”.
“When you’re on the sidelines of a game after a period of time off [due to COVID-19 restrictions]… You know there’s going to be some downs and the players finding their feet again,” Hegarty said.
“It was a fantastic effort by the players and it’s nice for them to get what I believe they deserve, after five or six weeks of hard work.”
Hegarty said the win was up there in comparison with some of their other FFA Cup wins. The club has made a habit of stealing the show in the competition, with a number of thrilling wins.
“It ended up being up there, to be honest,” he said
“Just in terms of how it worked out, with conceding an equaliser with 10 minutes to go and finding a winning goal in the dying minutes.
“We always seem to bring the entertainment to the stadium in FFA Cup games, so there must be something in the air.
“Look where we are at the end of it and that’s just a credit to the players.”
Hegarty said there were clear highlights from the match, including the team’s ability to bounce back from a setback. He said how they responded after conceding a goal was the most important thing.
“The first goal was a fantastic goal, from long distance, from Mark Ochieng,” he said.
“And then obviously, getting the winner in the 92nd minute to make it 2-1 was kind of a fantastic moment for the players and especially the fans, who were there in good numbers.
“That moment of not being defeated, and standing up and going again, which is like a true test of character and it showed in abundance.”
Hegarty said the night featured senior debuts following player departures, with teamwork on display throughout the match.
“We had the 17-year-old goalkeeper [Lucas Trenkovski] making his senior debut, and we had a 19-year-old central defender [Birhan Elibol] making his senior debut.
“So, [having] never played a game before in kind of their senior career was an unbelievable effort from both of those two.
“Both players were coming through our youth system, so that was a special night for the whole club and for them.
“There was a lot of nervous energy before the game and it was important that they settle, but we wanted to take the risk, rather than bringing new people in obviously, because we’ve lost a few players.
“It was nice to give them the opportunity and it’s even nicer to see them perform the way that they did.
“And that’s one thing that we are about the club, bringing people through our system, and luckily it was worth the risk.”
Hume’s opponent in the round is yet to be decided.
